HOME    PREVIOUS ISSUES    SEARCH

July 24, 2009

Leading Economic Index Signals Improvement

An index of leading economic indicators for the United States released Monday increased 0.7% in June following a 1.3% gain in May and a 1% rise in April. The Leading Economic Index is coordinated by The Conference Board, a not-for-profit organization that publishes information and analysis, makes economics-based forecasts and assesses trends.

“The recession has been losing steam since the spring, although very large job losses continue,” said Conference Board economist Ken Goldstein. “Nevertheless, confidence is slowly rebuilding. Financial markets are less volatile. Even the housing market is stabilizing. If these trends continue, expect a slow recovery this autumn.”  

Seven of the Conference Board index’s 10 indicators rose in June, including building permits, stock prices, manufacturers’ new orders for consumer goods and positive readings on jobs. Click here for full details.

More good news hit Thursday when the National Association of Realtors® announced existing home sales rose for the third month in a row (see release). Builder confidence in the market for newly built, single-family homes also rose two points in July, the highest level since September, according to the National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index (HMI). Click here to see a Shelter Magazine story on that improvement.

Strong, Green, Proud

Mark your calendars – plans are well under way for SFPA’s Annual Meeting Oct. 10-13 at The Roosevelt in New Orleans. The theme of this year’s meeting is “Strong, Green, Proud,” three words SFPA staff members believe accurately sum up the Southern Pine forest products industry. “Our industry has been going through a tough time economically, but we have a long, proud tradition of serving our nation’s need for lumber, and we are strong enough to weather this downturn and continue serving those needs better than ever going forward,” said SFPA President Digges Morgan. “We added green as one of our three key attributes because the environmental advantages that wood offers make our products the best choice in today’s increasingly environmentally conscious world.”

More information about the meeting and how to register will come by e-mail soon. Meanwhile, see how the historic Roosevelt has been brought back to its “glory days” by visiting www.therooseveltneworleans.com.

Raised Floor Living Tests Social Media

The Southern Pine Council’s Raised Floor Living program has joined the world of social media thanks to the efforts of The Ehrhardt Group of New Orleans, the agency that helps coordinate the raised floor campaign.  Raised Floor Living has a Facebook page where “friends” can find stories, videos and other information related to raised floor homes. Information is also available on a raised floor blog at www.abovetheflood.wordpress.com.  You can even follow Raised Floor Living on Twitter at www.twitter.com/abovetheflood.

Sarah Materne, who handles the Raised Floor Living campaign for The Ehrhardt Group, said, “Online news and social mediums are a great way to capture a large audience and educate homeowners and builders about the benefits of Raised Floor Living. We are seeing our numbers of interested viewers increase every day. Social media is truly the future of communication."

PRINTER-FRIENDLY VERSION  

mechanical means, without written authorization from SFPA is prohibited.